麻豆影院

Widespread use of this rickshaw conversion kit could save drivers cash and have the same emissions impact as taking one million rickshaws off the road

Raised in Colorado, Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan has long been influenced by the environmentally conscious 听population of this Rocky Mountain state. But a 2011 trip to her birthplace in India inspired her to do something for the environment. Gopalakrishnan, who just graduated from CU 麻豆影院 with a five-year combined MS/BS degree, devised a way to tackle India鈥檚 air pollution: a hybrid kit for rickshaws鈥攖he gas-powered motorized tricycle taxis that are a primary mode of transportation in the country.

She developed the concept in the Idea Forge鈥攁 collaborative space focused 听on invention and innovation on campus. 听With help from a team of engineering 听and business students, the hybrid kit 听became a reality, and a company: 听Surya Conversions.

The hybrid kits include an electric motor generator that attaches to the engine of an existing rickshaw, powering the engine from the battery before switching to fuel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 comparable to a Prius,鈥� explains Gopalakrishnan. The system also incorporates regenerative braking鈥攅nergy harnessed from braking recharges the battery. All in all, it increases vehicle fuel efficiency by 15鈥�20 percent, although the long-term target is 30 percent. 鈥淲e鈥檙e targeting the parts of the drive cycle of the vehicle when gas is most used,鈥� continues Gopalakrishnan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still using gas, but it鈥檚 using a lot less.鈥� The impact could be huge: If all of India鈥檚 five million rickshaws hybridized, the emissions impact would be the equivalent of taking one million rickshaws off the road.

For the 23-year-old, it's about both aiding the environment and simultaneously reducing poverty.

Gopalakrishnan鈥檚 work has not gone unnoticed. At CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 2014 New Venture Challenge, Gopalakrishnan鈥檚 team took home the Social Impact Prize and $3,000. They went on to win first place and $10,000 in the 2015 Esprit Venture Challenge sponsored by the 麻豆影院 Chamber of Commerce. Competitions, grants and a Kickstarter campaign have brought their total to $28,000 as of July 2016.

Now the goal is to get it to market. Gopalakrishnan says they might sell听kits to rickshaw companies or manufacturers. Another option is to partner with a microfinance organization to sell the kits directly to drivers, who can pay back the $600 kit over the course of a year. (The $600 price tag is equivalent to what drivers will save annually with the fuel efficiency.)

Rickshaw drivers have expressed most interest in the kits鈥� financial impacts. On average, drivers net about $1,800 USD per year, and after paying off the initial cost of the hybrid kit, drivers could be netting that fuel savings of an additional $600 annually鈥攁 33 percent income increase each year. 鈥淲e need to market to the government about reducing pollution, but drivers aren鈥檛 so interested in that. They鈥檙e living day-to-day,鈥� explains Gopalakrishnan. 鈥淲e have to make sure the cost savings are justified.鈥�

Gopalakrishnan will travel to India this fall to interview drivers and test the kit on-site. For the 23-year-old, it鈥檚 about both aiding the environment and simultaneously reducing poverty. 鈥淐olorado residents can afford to buy a Prius,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n India, that鈥檚 just not the case. It鈥檚 not yet affordable. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e really trying to do.鈥�